Ottawa — Conservative Leader Stephen Harper outlined Monday what his government's top five priorities would be should the Conservatives form the next government.
Topping the list is a host of reforms in the proposed Federal Accountability Act, which includes tighter rules for lobbyists and gives the Auditor-General and Ethics Commisioner more powers.
Mr. Harper then promised to cut one percentage point off the GST in his first budget and a second point later in his mandate.
A crackdown on crime, including mandatory minimum sentences, is the third priority, followed by a day-care plan that includes $1,200 a year to families for each child six and under as well as direct subsidies to centres that create new daycare spaces.
Finally, Mr. Harper pledged to transfer more money to the provinces and work with them to establish a patient waiting-times guarantee.
Absent from his list of priorities was any talk of increases to military spending.
Mr. Harper said a Conservative government would move on these five priorities first and other parts of the Conservative platform, such as defence, over time based on the size of the mandate he received.
"The stronger and the longer the mandate, the more time we'll have to work on a range of issues," he said. "Mr. Martin has more than 50 priorities and no results."
The Conservative Leader also spoke at length about the shooting death of a teenage girl, Jane Creba, in downtown Toronto over the holidays.
"This is not the Toronto I grew up in," he said. "We would not have tolerated such violence then and Torontonians should not tolerate such violence today."
Mr. Harper said Tory measures would include mandatory prison sentences for repeat serious offenders.
Liberal Leader Paul Martin was scheduled to give several media interviews Monday as well as visiting a bagel shop in Ottawa in an attempt to revive Liberal fortunes, with polls suggesting the Grits are in a dogfight with the Conservatives.
NDP Leader Jack Layton, who was also scheduled to campaign in the Ottawa area, is insisting that he is not planning to change his strategy in the second phase of the campaign.
Polls are indicating strategic voting could once again drive some NDP supporters toward the Liberals because they are scared of the Conservatives.
The Green Party, meanwhile, unveiled a platform calling for a charter to guarantee Canadians clean water and air among other environmental issues.
Topping the list is a host of reforms in the proposed Federal Accountability Act, which includes tighter rules for lobbyists and gives the Auditor-General and Ethics Commisioner more powers.
Mr. Harper then promised to cut one percentage point off the GST in his first budget and a second point later in his mandate.
A crackdown on crime, including mandatory minimum sentences, is the third priority, followed by a day-care plan that includes $1,200 a year to families for each child six and under as well as direct subsidies to centres that create new daycare spaces.
Finally, Mr. Harper pledged to transfer more money to the provinces and work with them to establish a patient waiting-times guarantee.
Absent from his list of priorities was any talk of increases to military spending.
Mr. Harper said a Conservative government would move on these five priorities first and other parts of the Conservative platform, such as defence, over time based on the size of the mandate he received.
"The stronger and the longer the mandate, the more time we'll have to work on a range of issues," he said. "Mr. Martin has more than 50 priorities and no results."
The Conservative Leader also spoke at length about the shooting death of a teenage girl, Jane Creba, in downtown Toronto over the holidays.
"This is not the Toronto I grew up in," he said. "We would not have tolerated such violence then and Torontonians should not tolerate such violence today."
Mr. Harper said Tory measures would include mandatory prison sentences for repeat serious offenders.
Liberal Leader Paul Martin was scheduled to give several media interviews Monday as well as visiting a bagel shop in Ottawa in an attempt to revive Liberal fortunes, with polls suggesting the Grits are in a dogfight with the Conservatives.
NDP Leader Jack Layton, who was also scheduled to campaign in the Ottawa area, is insisting that he is not planning to change his strategy in the second phase of the campaign.
Polls are indicating strategic voting could once again drive some NDP supporters toward the Liberals because they are scared of the Conservatives.
The Green Party, meanwhile, unveiled a platform calling for a charter to guarantee Canadians clean water and air among other environmental issues.
